Keeping the postal service up & running, one stamp at a time. Usually silly, sometimes cranky, occasionally a mix of the two.

Month: April 2016

Four off on their way to Asia! The two cards on the left, featuring famous fussbudget Lucy Van Pelt, are both going to Japan in separate Postcrossing Forum tag trades.

The top one goes to Tokyo, Japan, thanks to a Snoopy/Peanuts tag, and the one below it goes to Osaka, in a “Studio Ghibli/something from your wishlist” trade. No, Peanuts is not part of Studio Ghibli. That is what someone will be sending ME. I purchased both of these cards at the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa, California, the only source for Peanuts cards that I’ve come across here in the U.S. I told both of these recipients that I love these versions of the characters; the original ’50s/’60s (but really mostly just ’50s) versions–complete with Snoopy on all fours–are my very favorite looks for the Peanuts gang.

The two cards on the right are regular Postcrossing draws, and how lucky am I? Two rare destinations in Asia: Malaysia & Thailand! Both cards are pulled from the Disappointassortment, but only because the Postcrossers expressed an interest in the general themes depicted. The book card goes to someone in Bangkok, Thailand, because she was interest in book/reading-related cards, and it is this card that is the problem. The manufacturers of this line of cards saw fit to coat the back of many of them in a somewhat-glossy finish that, as you can see by peering at my scans below, ruins stamped impressions one makes on them: the ink immediately blurs/smears. Also, not all writing implements can stand up to this surface, but mine is fortunately up to the task. It’s a shame I did not notice the surface before stamping, because that mailbox & fish look like h-ck. Compare them to the versions immediately below, on the card bound for Selangor, Malaysia.

The first postcard is not a postcard, and I received it in a swap-bot “not a postcard” trade. This huge playing card–considerably bigger than a standard-sized postcard–came from a sender in Beachburg, Ontario, Canada. I guess she got about 52 postcards out of that deck! Mine was the three of hearts, as you may be able to see in the scan below.

Ohhhhh, here’s a real keeper! ASTRO BOY! It’s from a Postcrosser in Hokkaido, Japan, thanks to a Postcrossing Forum anime/manga trade. She says:

“What is your favorite Osamu Tezuka’s work? I like ‘Black Jack’ best. I sometimes read this manga even now.”

I don’t think I’ve seen “Black Jack” outside of a museum. I understand it to be one of Tezuka’s darker works, not the kind of sweetness & light that I prefer–but I should seek it out.

French-Canadian Cheerios–from French Canadia! Okay: Newfoundland, Canada. It’s a swap-bot chunk of cardboard, and this cereal box panel is about the same size as the huge playing card. This sender has a lot to say:

“I have just finished reading your profile! I see we have a favorite thing in common–beaches & exploring the coastline & tide pools!! I love finding ocean treasures. 🙂 It’s one of the few things I collect—the other being books! (I have an e-reader & it can hold 30,000, I only have 500 so far!) And pens–pens are actually a fetish for me!! I love colored, glitter, smelly pens & sharpies!!”

As to pens, I think they can be great for coloring & for art, but for writing, I seek out a specific pen I’ve been buying by the box. I’m buying for legibility & smear-proof-osity-aciousness, and make my ink black! Here in the postcarding world, I’ve discovered that the fun pens can make for cards that are not at all easy (for me) to read. I had a recent incident where a Postcrosser had written the postcard ID in a shiny, light green ink (as I recall), and I had suuuuch a difficult time making out the number. I might have had to ask for help. I’ve had to do that upon occasion, and I’ve also had to take cards right up to a lamp. Now, just to make things clear (ahem), this card’s sender did right very clearly with black ink, and I had no trouble reading anything on her card.

Let’s end at the top right, with that delicious food postcard from Taipei, Taiwan. It’s a regular Postcrossing card. Mango shaved ice, steamed buns (xlb)… I love it so much, it escaped my mind I’d already logged it here!

The showy Hong Kong postcard comes from showy Hong Kong, and is actually not part of a tag trade, but rather a thank-you card for a card I sent this person through a tag trade! Isn’t that nice? She writes, in part:

“Hong Kong is famous for her beautiful night view and sky scrapers. Wish you’ll come and visit some day!”

The people working at shells comes to me from Yantai, China, in a “China Meets the World” tag. The sender tells me about the scene:

“Greetings from northeast China. Yantai City is on the shore of the Yellow Sea & Bohai Sea. Just offshore is Kong Dong Island where I see these women as their husbands man the fishing boats & nets. Smells so bad & trash piles…terrible but interesting island village to explore.”

The dancers go out in a regular Postcrossing draw, to a recipient in Waldheim, Germany. She said she’d like to see cards showing people in traditional costumes, so there she goes!

The other two cards are for Postcrossing Forums tags. Cap’n Crunch is for a food package postcard tag, & he’s on his way to Yokohama, Japan. Speaking of recycled things, take a peek a the back of the card, scanned below. The Postcrosser said she loves lots of decorations on her postcards, and that if there were any room on the card, it would make her day if the sender were to include tickets and other items. I did, in fact, recently find some old arcade tickets, so I glued some into what would usually be the washi tape gutter between the address & my message.

Finally, the panda tourists go out in a China Meets the World tag, to a recipient in Yunfu, China. Her list of things she would like to see on a postcard included animals, scenery, cartoons, and funny things, so check-check-checkety-check! She said she also likes pretty stamps, so I made sure she got some.

Two just in, thanks to Postcrossing Forum tags, and this cat looks as if it can hardly believe its luck!

Kitty comes from Hong Kong, from a Postcrosser who writes:

“Hong Kong is the attractive city. Have you ever heard of the place called Victoria Harbour? By the end of November every year, the outer walls of buildings in the central business districts on both sides of the harbours are dressed with Christmas-related decorations You should come here and visit!”

I have made a brief trip to HK, in fact, and I look forward to returning!

The shrimp come to me from Neuss, Germany, from a sender who tells me:

“Seafood is important to me as I grew up near the North Sea in North Germany. Can’t wait to go back there on another holiday, haha.”

Okay, I thought writing “haha” next to something that is not funny was an American tic…

The three friends over Half Moon Bay are headed to Beijing, China, to a university student who says she wants to travel to beautiful places, and says her card likes include those designed by the sender, and those with cartoons. Check, check, check!

The rabbit is going to a rabbit fanatic in Fryazino, Russia. I was a little surprised when I clicked on “send a postcard” and I got Russia, as I already had a Postcrossing card traveling to Russia, but these things happen. We really need to figure out a way to recruit new members in less-Postcrossy countries.

That bit o’ burger box is going to Kaohsiung, Taiwan, as part of a Postcrossing Forum food package postcard tag. This Postcrosser enjoys food packaging as postcards so much, she has an online photo album of the repurposed packaging she has received! I believe this is the second such card I have sent her way.

First comes the wonderful little chef, from Ibaraki, Japan, courtesy of a Postcrossing Forum food package postcard tag. The sender tells me she has made the card from a “choco anpan” box:

“This is a Japanese small bread-shaped snack. It’s delicious and it’s so cute. :P”

Take a look down below for the wonderful food stickers (and the super-cool stamps) on the reverse side of her card.

More deliciousness on the next card, which came to me from a Postcrosser in Taipei, Taiwan. I have tried all of the foods listed, with the exception of the fried sub-sandwich. As for the steamed buns, AKA xiaolongbao / XLB / 小籠包, well, I’ve had those twice in the last 3 weeks or so!

Finally, from a Postcrosser in Petrozavodsk, Russia, comes the card depicting a sidewalk. Now, I was looking at that card, wondering if that scene is the best this locale has to offer–and then I recalled the postcards I see that depict my own city. Let’s just say that there is no accounting for postcard designers. I will let the postcard’s sender have the final word on her locale:

“This is a very beautiful, quiet and cozy town. It is the capital of the Republic of Karelia (on the north of Russia).”

I made three more Postcrossing draws. Before clicking that “send a card” link, I took a look at my traveling cards. Poland, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, India…I already knew exactly what country would come up. “Germany,” I said, and then I clicked…YUP! Germany!

That’s where the Lincoln Center card (at bottom right) will go, to a Postcrosser in Dusseldorf, Germany. He said he’d like a card with black & white photography, so there he goes.

Also into black & white shots is the Postcrosser I drew in Znojmo, Czech Republic. I don’t care for black & white photography, but this person & I do share something in common. She says that she loves watching movies “at cinema (not on TV).” Me, TOO! She says she goes to her local cinema once a week. Now, I don’t always get that opportunity, but I can say I went to the movies twice last week, and twice (so far) this week!

After filling out two black & white cards in a row, I was about to pass out of boredom, so I was thrilled to be able to choose that colorful Hearst Castle view for my next recipient. She lives in Fredericia, Denmark, and she mentions that she likes castles. She mentions a lot of things she likes, but first, she writes, “I’m absolutely not in to demands. So the following is only meant like a lead to you.” Oh, I do like her.

Postcrossing brought me 3 more postcards from one of my favorite areas this week–including my first-ever card from Thailand!

The top card, with all of the illustrations of food, comes from Tianjin, China, having traveled 22 days & 5,293 miles to get to me. The sender writes:

“China covers a large territory, which causes enormous differences of Chinese food among regions. I enjoy Sichuan food very much, especially hot pot.”

More food on that card from Kanazawa, Japan, which took a trip of 5,269 miles over 16 days to find me. There’s even food pictured on one of the stamps on this one!

Finally, my first card from Thailand! We need to recruit more new Postcrossers over there, because I would like for this to be a regular thing. I’ve sent 3 cards TO Thailand; I’ve even sent 2 cards FROM Thailand; but this is my first time getting a card from that country. Anyhoo, the card is from a Postcrosser in Bangkok, and it took a 7,947-mile journey in 30 days’ time, and the sender tells me the crafts on the water are the Royal Barge.

Cap’n Crunch, actually, was sent over 10 days ago & already received in Tokyo, Japan; I just had the one outgoing card at the time, so scanned it to report later. Today, apparently, is “later.” This was for a food package tag thread, & I actually tagged my Snoopy-loving postcard pal recently mentioned here. I told her how much I loved Peanut Butter Cap’n Crunch as a kid, though it didn’t seem to be sold in my area at the time (it ended up being a “vacation food”). These days, I wrote, I only buy the stuff rarely, like when there is a ridiculously big sale on the stuff–and sometimes I eat it mixed with Cheerios! She asked me what Cheerios are. Speaking of that cereal, watch this space: I received a Cheerios box postcard–printed in French–from a Canadian swapper this past week.

The other two Postcrossers I tagged mentioned loving sea life, so they each get the wonderful card you see below the Cap’n. The cards are on their way to Tianjin, China; and Neuss, Germany.

Stamps, stamp, sticker, & washi tape from the postcard to the Snoopy-loving friend (as you may be able to discern):